Centerburg cheerleaders take field at Cheez-It Citrus Bowl halftime show

For half a dozen Centerburg High School girls, along with their instructor, the Christmas Holiday was something they will be cheering about for years to come. The friends, all members of the Centerburg High School Cheerleader Squad, went on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Orlando, Florida; stayed for three nights at a hotel at Universal Studios theme park; and topped it off by attending the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Eve, where they were brought down to the field at halftime. There, they joined high school cheerleaders from all over the country, performing a routine in front of a packed stadium crowd.

The whole thing started as a trip to Ashland University for UCA (Universal Cheerleaders Association) summer camp last July. 

The camp, sponsored by Varsity, is one of many held by UCA, all over the US. The goal of the camps is to train cheerleaders in game day leading, crowd engagement, leadership, and skill development (stunts, dances, and chants) for all ages.

Cheerleaders go to this type of camp expecting to focus on building spirit and learning fundamentals, while developing teamwork and positive leadership. 

On the third day of camp, the girls got the opportunity to show what they learned. 

“There was an All-American competition that was held on the third night of camp,” said Centerburg cheerleader coach Kristi Adams. “You could choose to sign up for the All-American competition, not everyone had to do it. It was a voluntary thing. You had to be able to do a cheer, band dance, and a jump of choice. Out of that, we had five girls that were named All-American. Then, on the last day of camp, they did a competition showcase. In that, you do the different routines that you learned in camp. So, we got first place in one division (sideline routine) and second place in another (camp routine). If you place in any division, or if you were named an All-American, you get an invite to cheer at the Citrus Bowl. So that's how the girls got invited to that.” 

Centerburg had 12 varsity girls that were invited to go to the Citrus Bowl, but going was optional. Those who chose to go, knew that getting the funds to cover the costs of the trip was going to take work and time. The Centerburg Touchdown Club allowed the cheerleaders to raise the funds during many of their games with a 50/50 raffle. Long Branch Pizza donated 10 percent of their profits every Tuesday in November. The Hilton family donated gift baskets that the cheerleaders were able to raffle. 

 “Six of our girls (Emma Belcher, Grace Neighborgall, Lexie Moore, Hannah Hilton, Charley Ferrell, and Rylee Vermillion) ended up going down to the Citrus Bowl,” said Adams. “It was just me and the six girls so you have to pay for a package through Varsity. That included the hotel at Universal in Orlando (Dockside Inn and Suites), but each of us also got a three-day park pass, as well as going to cheer at the Citrus Bowl. So, the girls got to do all kinds of fun things. It was a very busy couple of days and a lot of fun for them.” 

“We won the UCA team and we won trophies so we got to go,” said Emma Belcher, who has been cheering since third grade. “I'm a senior. This is the greatest moment in my cheering career.”

It was also the biggest stadium to which Belcher has ever been.

“We also got to go to Universal for three days,” said Belcher. “Then, we had two practices and the game. I wasn't really rooting for anybody in the game. I was just happy to be there.”

Adams, who was the sole chaperone, is no stranger to this kind of trip, as a coach or as a parent.

“My son, who goes to college in Florida now, did competitive cheer, so their big event at the end of the season, was at ESPN at Disney,” said Adams. “So, I've done this for several years of going down there with him, staying at Disney, and having competition down there. Now, this was my first time taking a group of girls down there, staying at Universal, and doing the Citrus Bowl, but I kind of knew what I was in for, because I've done similar things for my son's competition. Only this time, I was responsible for six kids instead of one.” 

When the day finally came, the girls wound up waiting for hours for the fight out of Columbus.

“Our first flight got delayed, so we ended up leaving at 6 p.m. on Dec. 27, which was the Saturday after Christmas,” said Adams. “We didn't end up flying out until 11:30 p.m. We didn't even get to the hotel until four in the morning. It was a really long night, but we made it and that's all that matters. By comparison, the flight home went perfectly fine.”

Florida was very crowded, and there were a lot of vacationers down there as well as hundreds of cheerleaders, but Varsity provided busing to and from all the practices, and to and from the game. 

“That was super helpful, to have all of that organized for the participants,” said Adams.

All of the Varsity participants were up in seats during the Citrus Bowl. They were taken down in the second quarter and all lined up so they could be ready for the halftime performance.

“It was really nerve-racking, because there were so many people,” said Belcher. “We were up front in our line. We had competitions, so I was a little used to it. Fortunately, everything went well.”

In their big moment on the field, the Trojan cheerleader’s routine, which they had practiced, came off as planned.

“They send you a video ahead of time, showing what you need to learn,” said Belcher. “Then, when you get there, you have two days where you have practice. You learn where you need to go and the formations. The expectation is that you learn it before you get there. Fortunately, we had some practice here before Christmas, so the girls could work on it before they got down there. They did great. They got to be in the front of their line. they didn't wind up in the back and so, it was really awesome for them. The organizers ran them on the field and ran them off quickly. That way the band could go on. It was pretty quick. Varsity recorded it and posted it on an app for parents to be able to view it.”

The experience, in front of 47,000 fans, filled the girls with plenty of new energy.

“There were hundreds of girls there, because they took up the whole field,” said Adams. “I have no clue how many were there. The girls said it was, ‘literally the coolest thing.’ They loved it. In fact, before they went down there, they were freezing. They were cold and they felt like they were sitting there forever. When they came back, there was a totally different energy, because they got to have that whole experience on the field and they loved it. The girls said it was the coolest thing they had ever done in their lives.”

A major college bowl is not something this group of girls have had the opportunity to experience – never mind the trip to Florida, the flight, and a few days at Universal Studios.

“I don't know if some of these girls have ever been,” said Adams. “I think it was their first time. There were jet planes flying over and they thought that was really awesome. Texas had a huge band, so they enjoyed watching that at the beginning of the game. It was a really cool experience and that's part of the reason I wanted to take them. It's not something that most of them will ever get the opportunity to do again, or to get to go take a trip like that with their teammates and friends. I think it was good for them to get that experience. They got to cheer on the field, which is something that most of them will never get to do again. At the same time, they also got to fly to Florida together and stay together and go to the park together. Those are memories they will always have and the kind of trip that they may only do once.”

On the final day, each girl was asked to choose one fun thing that they wanted to do at Universal.

“After the game, we went back to the park and rode some more rides,” said Adams. “Everybody got to pick one thing that they really wanted to do, so I had to make sure everybody's one thing happened. We had one whole day at the park and the others were just half days, because they practiced one day and then the other day they had a game. So, we used the time after the game to make everybody's one thing happen.” 

Belcher’s dream was to meet Whoville’s grouchiest character.

“What I wanted to do was meet the Grinch,” said Belcher. “That was really fun. I like the cartoon Grinch, but I like the live action one more.”

It made for more memories that will last a lifetime.

“On our Facebook page there is a video of them doing our fight song, with the Grinch, at Universal Park, “said Adams. “It was the funniest thing. They thought it was the coolest thing that ever happened. The Grinch was awesome, and he played along with the girls, and they thought that was the greatest thing that ever happened.”

Perhaps, the toughest part of the trip, for Adams, was coming home and getting her girls grounded again, so they could get back to the task of preparing for the next Trojans’ game. 

“We had a game on Saturday and I had to reel them all back in,” said Adams. “They wanted to tell all their friends about what happened in Florida. I had to tell them we have to practice for the game. We haven't had a practice in two weeks. We had to reel it back in and refocus. We're doing a couple of competitions at the end of the month and so we have plenty of things to be working on.”

Still, Adams is thinking about the next cheerleader trip, but she’s not the only one.

They already asked about next year,” said Adams. “The seniors asked if they could come back, and I said, 'Nope. I'm sorry. You must graduate. You must go on with life.'”